Wall construction



April 6, 1937. F. M- vENzlE 2,076,388

WALL CONSTRUCTION Filed July 22, 195s 2 sheets-sheet 1 v if April 6, l937 F. M. vENzlE l 2,076,388

WALL CONSTRUCTION Filed July 22, 1933 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 ATTORNEY Patented Apr. 6,'1937 WALL CONSTRUCTION Frederick M. Venzie, Philadelphia, Pa., assignor to National Gypsum Company, Buffalo, N. Y... a corporation of Delaware v Application July 22, 1933, Serial No. 681,679 i 3 Claims.

My invention relates to building construction and more particularly to a novel wall and means for supporting the same.

Heretofore in the moremodern types of interior walls formed of a plurality of panels the panels have been spaced from and secured to the studding by resilient clips. It has been foundthat such walls cracked due to expansion and contractionand hence would not keep the smooth surface with which they had been finished. Fur.- thermore, it was found that the sound absorp- My invention comprises a novel wall formed of la plurality of surfacing units inwhich the l units are rigidly connected and resiliently supported outof contact with all supports.

A primary object Of my invention is to provide a wall, formed of a plurality of abutting surfacing units, in whichno cracks Will form from either vibration, expansion, or contraction.

Another -object of my invention is to increase the sound absorbing qualities of a. resiliently sup' ported wall.

A more specific object -of my invention is to provide a wall comprised of a multiplicity of abutting surfacing units which is not only re'- siliently connected to the supports adjacent its inner surface but is resiliently supported on all of its marginal edges.

Yet anotherobject of my invention is to profvide a wall comprised of a multiplicity of surfacing units which is provided with means for maintaining the edges Of .the surfacing units. in abutting relationship.

A further object of my invention is to //Movide a wall which is maintained out of xedf ntact with all stationary supports.

Other and more specific objects of my invention will be apparent from the following specication, claims, and from the drawings lin, which: Figfl is a front elevation-with portions broken away of a part of a wall embodying one form of my invention; n Fig. 2 is a horizontal section taken through a portion of the wall shown in Fig: 1;

Fig. 3 is a vertical section through an expansion member used in connection with my invention of such walls was not as great as it should Fig. 6 is a detailed perspective view ofa clip for holding the surfacing unit to the support;

Fig. 'lis a vertical section of a wallshowing a modification of my invention;

Figs. 8 and 9 are vertical elevations of edges of the surfacing unit shownin Fig. 7; and

Fig. 10 is a vertical section through edges of two' of the abutting surfacing units shown in` Fig. 7.

Referring now particularly to the embodiment. of my inventio-n shown in Figs. 1 to 6 inclusive, wherein is illustrated a wall, supported by stud-f ding, a. multiplicity of surfacing units I5 .comprisingla metal shell or pan I6 having a ller of suitable inaterial such as felt, fire resisting compositions orthe like Il and formed with tongued and grooved marginal edges IB-are connected to studs I9 by clips 20. The surfacing units may be identical with or similar to those described in x my copending application led February 1, 1933,

Serial No. 654,688. The studs may be supported in any preferred and suitable manner as is well known to those skilled i-n the art. Each surfacing unit I of a bottom row or tier is spaced from the floor or other supporting surface by an expansion-or resilient member 25 and the end units of each horizontal row are similarly spaced from the side or end walls 26 by similar members 25.

It being understood that the expansion mem; bers 25 along the entire margin of the 'wall are similarly mounted, a description of the spring at one of the ends of my novel wall will suice for a description of all. As illustrated in Fig. 2, adjacent the margin of the wall to be erected a strip 2l of wood is nailed to a fixed support 26, such as an exterior wall, as by nail 28, and to the strip 21 is nailed as by the nail 29 the spring unit 25, the unit 25 being formed with an opening25a for a nail formed between two complementarily shaped members 25h.' Each of the members 25h has a pair of inwardly projecting flanges 25e facing one another between which is adapted to to their erection the units 25 are compressed, as by a vise,.an'd fastened in compressed position by a- Wrapping of wire or othensuitable material about their ends as at 25e. The members 25 are then positioned as previously indicated adjacent the strip 21.

After the .surfacing units I5 have been'posi. tioned in the wall, the .wires 25e lare cut, the springs 25d expand and maintain the wall spaced from its marginal supports under a resilient A pressure and maintain these units at all times in a close abutting relationship regardless oftheir beseated a pair of expansion springs d. Prior formed as above described, as well as the expani 5 sion members 25, is covered by a finishing strip -30 nailed as at 29a to the strip 21 to which the expansion members 25 are connected, which strip extends over the edge of the floating wall a suincient distance that when" the wall is in its most,V

contracted condition the, strip willstill overlap the same.

The surfacing units l5 are connected to one another by a clip 3l, Fig. 4, which may be quadrilateral in cross-section with two`free edges one of which is convex as at Sla. The convex edge 3|a is adapted to t under the inner side of the tongue I6a on the pan I5 and the upper face 3Ib of the clip, at right angles to convex edge Sla, is adapted to rit over the inner edge of the groove 201617 of an adjacent pan I5. These clips are so shaped that the convex edge Sla may be readily slipped into the back of the tongue Ita and an adjacent surfacing unit thereafter driven in under the upper face Blb thereof, theclip serving to wedge together the tongue and groove of adjacent pans. Preferably these clips are positioned with relation to the surfacing units as indicated in Fig. 1.

Clips 20 for connecting the units to the stud I9 preferably are formed from a single blank and comprise a substantially H-shaped plate 20a having a flange 2Gb extending at right angles thereto along one of the longer sides, parallel to which andconnected to the opposite side of the same side of the H-shaped plate are two iingers 20c spaced by the-bar 20d of the` H. Alongside of each of the fingers 20c are two fingers 20e lying in the same plane therewith, each of these fingers being adapted to be bent downwardly to connect one end of the longer sides of the 'H,to form a closure as indicated in Fig. 6 about a stud. These clips, preferably along thev flange 20b and the portion of the plate adjacent thereto, are coated with a non-metallic substance 20] such as asphalt, whereby when the clipis con--` nected to the surfacing unit there will be no metal contact and hence the transmission of sound will,be minimized.

As indicated in Figs. 2 and 5, the upright V finger 20c of the clip 2l carries a spring 35 formed with a hook-shaped member 35a adapted to engage the iinger 2lc. The spring 35 is interposed between the inner face of the finger 2lc and the studding to provide a non-rigid connection between the surfacing unit and itsrsupport. As will be apparent from Fig. 5, the flange 2lb of the clip 2l engages the inner 'portion of the tongue Ita of the surfacing units` I5 in the same manner as does the clipV ll but at a position spaced therefrom.

In the embodiment of my invention, shown in Figs. 'i' to 10, which eliminates the studding and is primarily useful as a partition wall, the surfacing units 40 are substantially similar to those above described but the filler may be three times as thick but provided with pans on both surfaces. The filler may have an opening such as at e extending lengthwise therethrough allowing the passage of waterpipes, electric conduits and the like.

The pans 40a formingone surface of each of the units are provided adjacent their tongued edges 40h with a catch d and along the grooved edges 0f with a slot "c adapted to receive the catch 40d and be engaged by the same, as clearly indicated in Fig. l0, to prevent movement of adjacent units out of engagement with each other.

, The units embodied in this invention are supported in an identical manner on the tension members 25 as those shown in the first described embodiment of my invention except that a plurality of the tension members areprovided at each end and all other supportingmeans are' eliminated, as clearly indicated in Fig. '1. Since in this construction a space occurs between the adjacent edges of the panels inwardly of the pans, this is filled with grouting 4I to increase the fire- `proof qualities of the wall.

relationship one with another; a fixed support;

a metallic clip engaging said fixed support and surfacing unit, said last named clip having a non-metallic coating on the portion thereof engaging said unit, and means for maintaining it in resilient contact with said fixed support; and resilient members positioned between said surfacing units and surrounding surfaces whereby said surfacing units are maintained out of fixed contact therewith.

2. A wall comprising a plurality oi surfacing units, said units having tongued and grooved edges; a clip engaging a tongue and groove of adjacent units for maintaining the same in fixed relationship; a xed support; a clip engaging said xed support and one of said surfacing units, said last named clip having a non-metallic coating on the portion thereof engaging said unit, and means for maintaining said last named clip inresilient contact with said xed support; and resilient members positioned between said surfacing units and'surrounding surfaces whereby said surfacing units are maintained out of fixed contact therewith.

' 3. A wall bounded by fixed supports comprising a multiplicity of similarly shaped surfacing units having parallel major. surfaces, tongues and grooves on each of said units, means engaging the tongue of one un'lt and the groove of an adjacent unit for connecting said units, studs positioned outside of the planes in which said major surfaces lie, means lying between said planes for resiliently spacing said connected units from said fixed supports, and means engaging said unitsifor resiliently connecting said units to said studs.

FREDERICK M. VENZIE. 

